Wireless communication networks often comprise a base station in communication with one or more mobile stations, also known as clients or subscriber stations. It is well known to use a relay to route signals between the base station and the mobile stations to increase the capacity, or throughput, and the reliability of the wireless communication networks. Relays are often used, for example, when the link between the base station and the mobile station is poor because of an obstacle, such as a building, in the Line of Sight (LOS) between the base station and the mobile station.
The Institute of Electronic and Electrical Engineers (IEEE) 802.16j standard defines a Mobile Multihop Relay-based (MMR) network architecture for relays in which the relays are all base stations. The relays functionally serve as aggregating points for the collection and distribution of traffic from and to mobile stations associated with the relays. However, certain concepts of other IEEE standards, such as the concept of connection and the associated packet construction mechanism defined in the IEEE 802.16d/16e standards, may potentially create bottlenecks and limit the overall capacity of the network.
Another IEEE standard having the objectives of improved capacity and reliability is 802.16m, which is the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) 2 counterpart of 802.16j. However, 802.16j can not merge with 802.16m due to fundamental Media Access Control (MAC) differences. 802.16m is an extension of 802.16e and focuses on base stations without relays. Therefore, the 802.16m standard may not be unable to enjoy the performance gains provided by relays.
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